Psalms of a Boomer Consumer
A psalm is a song and a poem and a prayer, all rolled into one. It can start, Thank You… or, Why can’t You…? or, Hey, You! Whatever else it does, a psalm addresses God directly - as Mother, Father, Sister, Friend, Teacher, Boss, Stranger On The Subway or maybe just that unseen presence that sidles up to us at the oddest times. Though I love the Hebrew psalms of my own tradition, their frequent references to sheep-herding do not reflect the world I live in. So I set out to write a few psalms of my own, from the standpoint of somebody who lives in an apartment and shops in grocery stores and goes to the movies and rides the subway. For weeks while I was compiling “Psalms of a Boomer Consumer,” I could never read a newspaper or magazine without a pair of scissors in my hand. I cut out advertising slogans, promises made by car dealerships, coupons to help us save, save, save - all the quasi-spiritual stuff that bombards us in our consumer society. I worked those clippings into the illustrations for each psalm, and often drew ironic inspiration from them. “Psalms of a Boomer Consumer” is interactive. It provides space for the reader to write some psalms of their own, and suggests a few phrases to help them get going. “Whatever you do,” the Introduction urges, “tell your God what’s on your mind. And don’t mince words. Your God can take it.”
Outside the Grocery Store
You’re always there
on Your plastic bucket,
inches from the IN door
that opens automatically for me -
fresh come from the ATM,
bearer of the fattened wallet,
pusher of the squealing cart.
I throw You a glance.
Your eyes meet mine.
You nod. I look away.
Later, coming out the OUT,
light of pocket, heavy of bag,
I think, what the hell.
Fumble for a loony.
Take one of Your papers.
Once more look away
from the grace of Your nod.